Method of removing stratified rock



- H. ROMMERDALE. METHOD 0F REMOVING STRATIFIED ROCK. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6,1917.

,332,689. Patented Mar. 2,1920.

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H. ROMMERDALE. METHOD 0F REMOVING STRATlFIED ROCK.

APPLICATION FIILED NOV- 6| 19H.

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METHOD 0F REIIOVING STRATIFIED ROCK.

Application filed November 6, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOLGER ROMMERDALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Removing Stratied Rock, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the method of removing stratified rock and consists in cer-.

tain improvements therein as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In trenching stratified rock, such as shale, the common method now employed is to blast the rock so as to break it up and remove the blasted rock with steam shovels or by other means. Some shale is suliiciently soft so that it may be cut directly by the steam shovel but in any case the methods now employed are comparatively slow.

The object of this invention is to remove stratied rock with as little effort as possible.

In carrying out the method I use the mechanism shown in the following drawings wherein Figure 1 shows a face view of the cut from the trench.

Fig. 2 a side elevation, the trench being in section.

Fig. 3 a face view of the cutting tool.

Fig. 4 a section on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3.

1 marks the face of the cut. A pile driver, or hammer is used. This is provided with the frame made up of the cross I beams 2 resting on the longitudinal beams 8. Skids 4 are secured to the bottoms and rollers 5 are used under the skids 4L. The platform 6 has the roller 7 under it which rests on the I beams 2. The post 8 is carried by the platform 6. It will be readily seen that the post may be moved laterally on the roller 7 and the whole driver moved longitudinally or in line with the cut on the rollers 5.

A steam hammer 9 is carried by the guides 10 and is provided with a steam connection 12. The hammer is supported by a cable 13 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 200,604.

and is lowered as the cutting tool is advanced into the rock.

The cutting tool has the bits 15, the bits being provided with the shanks 16 which are secured by bolts 17 to the webs of two railroad rails forming the shank'of the cutting` tool. Two lengths of railroad rails are placed with their bottoms 18 face to face and are secured together by bolts 19 passed thrlough the flanges at the bottoms of the ral s.

In carrying out my method the pile driver is placed so that the cutting tool operates upon the rock a slight distance back from the face. The wedged face 2O of the cutting tool is toward the farce of the rock and as the cutting tool is driven into a rock it severs the strata and wedges them forward progressively. Ordinarily the forward movement of each layer carries the layer above it toward the face so that after the cutting has progressed a slight distance the portion cut topples over into the trench and is broken sufliciently so that it can be readily removed without blasting or other breaking.

In this way trenching in soils or rocks of this character can be very rapidly. accomplished.

What I claim as new is z- 1. The method of removing stratified rock which consists in making a vertical line cut slightly distanced from the rock face, subjecting the rock to lateral strain at the line of the cut to fracture the rock as the `cut is advanced and moving the portion between the face and cut toward the face as the cut progresses.

2. The method of removing stratified rock which consists in making a vertical line cut slightly distanced from the rock face, subjecting the rock to lateral strain at the line of the cut to fracture the rock as the cut is advanced and moving the portion between the face and cut toward and off the face as the cut progresses.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HOLGER ROMMERDALE. 

